Conventional multi-phase power supplies may include one or more DC to DC converters to produce a respective output voltage to power a load. Any number of phases in a multi-phase power supply can be operated in parallel to produce the output voltage powering the load.
One type of DC to DC converter is a single-stage power converter system. As its name suggests, in the single-stage power converter system, each phase includes a single power converter to convert an input voltage such as 48 V DC (Volts Direct Current) into a respective target output voltage such as 1 volt DC to power a load.
Another type of DC to DC converter is a so-called two-stage power converter system. As its name suggests, the two-stage power converter system includes two power converter stages to produce a respective output voltage. As an example, a first power converter stage typically converts an input voltage such as 48 V DC into an intermediary voltage such as 12 V DC. A second power converter stage converts the intermediary voltage such as 12 V DC into a target output voltage such as 1 volt DC. Each stage could be a different power converter topology. For the second stage, typically a multi-phase buck converter topology is used. Accordingly, the system converts 48 VDC into 1 VDC.
In certain instances, a respective multi-phase power supply can be configured to monitor its own health. In response to detecting a condition in which a failure occurs, all of the phases in the power supply can be deactivated to prevent damage to the multi-phase power supply and/or the load driven by the output voltage.